Leigh Colburn
Leigh Colburn pioneered the embedded wraparound concept in mid-2015 at Marietta High School—a school in the Metro Atlanta area—when she stepped down as principal to open the Graduate Marietta Student Success Center (now known as the Student Life Center). Leigh’s devotion to student voice along with her innovative approach to community partnerships resulted in ten re-purposed classrooms within the school serving as the hub for a variety of opportunities and services, from care closets and mental health therapy to yoga classes and military recruiting. The Center instantly became the focus of media and educational attention, with over 200 tours for agencies, policymakers, and school districts during the first 2 years. The Georgia Charter Foundation named the Center the 2016 Innovation of the Year and Leigh became a sought-after speaker and advisor. What began as a strategy to boost graduation rates quickly transformed into a movement to mobilize communities to address barriers students face and build a culture of hope. In June of 2017, Leigh officially retired to begin a consultancy The Centergy Project—a wraparound initiative. The wraparound concept has taken root in Georgia. The Georgia Department of Education engaged Leigh and her business partner, Linda Beggs, to train 16 regional wraparound specialists in The Centergy Cycle® . Leigh Colburn and Linda Beggs have also worked with school districts in Virginia, Alabama, and Illinois. Of late, Leigh Colburn and Linda Beggs have been asked to submit a book proposal to Solution Tree for a book to be published in 2020. At the time of this proposal submission, the first chapters of the book have been submitted.